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“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.”Ancient American Indian Proverb Civilitas successit barbarum Ubi Jus - Ibi Remedium ----> Equity sees that as done what ought to be done Equity will not suffer a wrong to be without a remedy - Equity delights in equality - One who seeks equity must do equity - Equity aids the vigilant, not those who slumber on their rights - Equity imputes an intent to fulfill an obligation - Equity acts in personam - Equity abhors a forfeiture - Equity does not require an idle gesture - He who comes into equity must come with clean hands - Equity delights to do justice and not by halves -Equity will not complete an imperfect gift - Equity will not allow a statute to be used as a cloak for fraud

Startup electric truck maker Chanje Energy has launched an electric Class 5 van, intent to replace last century’s fossil fuels with a zero-emissions Class 5 last-mile delivery option. This is the latest of several recent additions to the electric truck and van market.

Chanje V8070 is truly a vehicle without compromise . Separating from the smelly particulate crowd, Chanje is offering the first premium-quality, extended-length, medium-duty electric vehicle in the US.

Delivery vehicles are major polluters — worse than regular cars. Chanje Energy intends to change that and aims to dominate the Class 5 last-mile delivery segment with its extended-length, medium-duty panel van, the Chanje V8070.

Fewer moving parts and no need for oil changes = 70% less maintenance costs, according to the company. Fuel costs? No, not so much — approximately 70% less as well. The approach Chanje took was to create a platform that “allows us to offer maximum payload, maximum cargo capacity, the most efficient powertrain.”

Startup electric truck maker Chanje Energy has launched an electric Class 5 van, intent to replace last century’s fossil fuels with a zero-emissions Class 5 last-mile delivery option. This is the latest of several recent additions to the electric truck and van market.

Chanje V8070 is truly a vehicle without compromise . Separating from the smelly particulate crowd, Chanje is offering the first premium-quality, extended-length, medium-duty electric vehicle in the US.

Delivery vehicles are major polluters — worse than regular cars. Chanje Energy intends to change that and aims to dominate the Class 5 last-mile delivery segment with its extended-length, medium-duty panel van, the Chanje V8070.

Fewer moving parts and no need for oil changes = 70% less maintenance costs, according to the company. Fuel costs? No, not so much — approximately 70% less as well. The approach Chanje took was to create a platform that “allows us to offer maximum payload, maximum cargo capacity, the most efficient powertrain.”

The global race to cater to the growing electric car market is intensifying every day. All of the major car manufacturers are now pushing in this direction, and Tesla is constantly making headlines for its relentless advancement and ambitions to popularise electric vehicles. And amongst all of this largesse, there are smaller, more niche manufacturers breaking through and trying to find their own space in the industry.

We recently reported on the new Sion prototype, the first car to make use of external solar panels to give the vehicle extra charging capability for increased range, and now we’re introducing the unique electric vehicles from French manufacturer XYT.

It’s first car is made of just 580 pieces.

Aside from simplicity, what separates these cars from other cars is their modular and customisable design. Instead of the one-size-fits-all type of offering delivered by other manufacturers, the XYT gives the option of customizing and changing the vehicle based on your needs and desires.

The global race to cater to the growing electric car market is intensifying every day. All of the major car manufacturers are now pushing in this direction, and Tesla is constantly making headlines for its relentless advancement and ambitions to popularise electric vehicles. And amongst all of this largesse, there are smaller, more niche manufacturers breaking through and trying to find their own space in the industry.

We recently reported on the new Sion prototype, the first car to make use of external solar panels to give the vehicle extra charging capability for increased range, and now we’re introducing the unique electric vehicles from French manufacturer XYT.

It’s first car is made of just 580 pieces.

Aside from simplicity, what separates these cars from other cars is their modular and customisable design. Instead of the one-size-fits-all type of offering delivered by other manufacturers, the XYT gives the option of customizing and changing the vehicle based on your needs and desires.

I read a Consumer Reports review of the the new Volt last night. All electric, not a hybrid, 200-plus miles on a charge. The only negative is that you need a dedicated 240V charging station, and even then it takes 10 hours to fully charge from a fully discharged condition. There is some kind of rapid charge option. Not sure if that's something you can do at home, doubtful.

But the reviewers loved it, and the price is cheaper than the new Tesla, and performance is comparable, apparently.

My next car, most likely.

Eddie, good for you. I wish I could get a fully electric vehicle too.

That modular French EV looks a little like the "Thing" that VW made a long time ago.

The Volkswagen Type 181 is a two-wheel drive, four-door, convertible, manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1968 to 1983. Originally developed for the West German Army, the Type 181 was also sold to the public, as the Kurierwagen in West Germany, the Trekker (RHD Type 182) in the United Kingdom, the Thing in the United States (1973–74), the Safari in Mexico and South America, and Pescaccia in Italy. Civilian sales ended after model year 1980.

Of course the Thing wasn't modular so the XYT is a much better, and also electric, GREEN Thing , so to speak.

I posted this comment on the XYT EV thread. Everybody says that EV battery pack size (at current maximum energy densities available - which are being improved as we speak) is limited because the increase in battery pack weight reaches a point of diminishing returns for range increase. HOWEVER, most people do not realize that when people are carried in an EV, the protection of the battery pack ALSO increases the WEIGHT due to crash test requirements! So, I posted this comment:

I wonder when a range extender cart that just has a big battery pack in it on an ultralight frame (doesn't carry people so it would NOT need to pass any crash tests, a factor that now limits the size of the battery pack beyond the battery weight issue) will be invented.

It would make sense, simply because most people don't drive more that 25 miles on any given day. The (e.g. 200 added miles) battery cart could be hitched to the vehicle for long trips. This would totally eliminate the "range extender" small internal combustion engine requirement for hybrids.

The battery cart trailer could be charged slowly at the home of a person from solar panels, simply because it would be rarely used.

In addition it would be available to provide emergency power to a home.

For people interested in buying a Leaf three or four years (you can get one for $12,000 or less) old with high mileage, the following is basically the only cost you need to add to the purchase to get as much mileage out of it as a brand new one.

Agelbert NOTE: Naperville is in the state of Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 141,853, which was estimated to have increased to 147,100 by July 2015. It is the fifth-largest city in Illinois. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naperville,_Illinois

Naperville Tuk Tuk fleet doubles in size in less than a year

POSTED BY ETUK BLOG ON JUL 18, 2017 2:53:44 PM

Just 10 months after hitting the streets, the Naperville Tuk Tuk fleet has grown from two to four vehicles, co-owner Bill Hamik said.

Residents seem to be embracing the electric people-movers, which are now operating under summer hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Hamik said. The three-wheeled, six passenger vehicles, piloted by eight drivers, were in high demand during Ribfest, he said.

"Every day's a little bit new," Hamik said. In November and December, Tuks Tuks transported people for the city's inaugural Christkindlmarkt and generated enough rides beyond that to justify adding a third vehicle in January and a fourth about two weeks ago.

When it comes to anticipating the number of rides Tuk Tuks will give in a day, it varies by day and what's going on in the city, Hamik said.

"It's really based on the number of calls," he said. "You do get kind of in the rhythm of how many should be out, but this (Ribfest) weekend has thrown that off the charts."

Tuk Tuks, while being able to accommodate just six people at a time, have helped with the Ribfest traffic flow, said Erin O'Donnell, spokeswoman for Ribfest.

"They have been phenomenal, and they are a great service for us," O'Donnell said. "It fits a niche, it fits a need. We have people who are waiting for the shuttle buses and people waiting for Ubers or Lyfts, but this allows people to get out of the area and into downtown if they don't want to walk the couple blocks there."

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE CASE STUDY TO READ ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GO BEYOND THE SHUTTLE With the summer hours, drivers — all of whom live in Naperville — work in two shifts, usually from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and then 5 to 11 p.m.

"I picked up Mayor Pradel yesterday, he lives across the street from where the Tuk Tuks are housed," Hamik said. "I took him down to Ribfest for the judging, and he gets out and he says, 'Bill, I gotta tell you, now I'm known as the person who lives across from the Tuk Tuk house."

Pradel occasionally stops by the business to make sure the drivers are doing what they're supposed to be doing, Hamik said.

And it's not just the city's beloved Pradel who's embraced the alternative mode of transportation.

Tuk Tuks are also the official vehicle of the city's Centennial Beach. "We rotate a Tuk around there all day long to get people from the beach to get things like ice cream," Hamik said.

Hamik and his business partner Mike Belgio also added 15-seat shuttle vans that can be used for trips involving larger groups. "Uses of those are for shuttles to Cubs and Sox games, concerts and hopefully wedding parties," Hamik said. The vans can be used for three to six hours at a time.

As far as logistics of moving people throughout Naperville's downtown goes, Hamik serves as the dispatcher receiving calls, texts and online reservations while sitting at a desk in his home. He and the drivers use an app that allows them be plugged into a group email or text through which Hamik directs the drivers to pickup locations.

Most Ribfest attendees made reservations in advance, and the city of Naperville has traffic control "down to a science" Hamik said. Both make the people-moving process more efficient.

"This is a first so we didn't know what to expect," he said. "We just thank the people of Naperville for their patience."

Article was originally posted by the Chicago Tribune - Naperville Sun on July 5, 2017.Written by Erin Hegarty. View the original article here.

Headquartered in Denver, CO eTuk USA manufactures 100% electric, eco-friendly tuk tuks to suit a variety of customer needs throughout the USA. The company’s electric vehicles are well suited for a variety of applications. eTuk USA licenses the design from their partner, The Tuk Tuk Factory, and is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of the eTuk in the United States. Check out the company’s passenger eTuks for shuttle and tour operator applications or its commercial eTuks for vending, delivery, or food truck applications.

When you hear the word "drone," you probably think of something either very useful or very scary. But could they have aesthetic value? Autonomous systems expert Raffaello D'Andrea develops flying machines, and his latest projects are pushing the boundaries of autonomous flight — from a flying wing that can hover and recover from disturbance to an eight-propeller craft that's ambivalent to orientation ... to a swarm of tiny coordinated micro-quadcopters. Prepare to be dazzled by a dreamy, swirling array of flying machines as they dance like fireflies above the TED stage.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

Driving an all-electric vehicle with limited range and no Supercharging, I do sometimes think about options for long-distance travel, off-the-beaten-path travel, and perhaps even off-the-grid travel. The challenges of EV charging on highways along open fields and long, winding mountains is sometimes that there’s no high-power connection to the grid, and creating a connection is very costly.

Well, Belgium and German EV motorists can relax and enjoy more charging options in rural locations thanks to second-life batteries. UK-based Connected Energy and Groupe Renault have installed two quick-charge stations along highways based on E-STOR energy storage technology.